Did Marty Beth get too much credit for the Kerry's rebound in the primary?

[Doosh]

Think about it, for the longest time it was Dean vs. Gephardt for Iowa, the battle raged on with both resorting to pretty dirty campaigning for a few months, Clark and Lieberman make the foolish decision to skip Iowa, not knowing at the time Iowa will decide everything and whoever gets the bounce will win the nomination, so they're done early though most people don't realize it.

Gephardt and Dean continue to slug it out, voters begin to grow tired of the mudslinging and both candidates pretty much cancel each other out, it was a duel suicide bomb, though some will blame it on gephardt, Dean's scream took him out quicker though I have no doubt Kerry would've won NH and the nomination anyway. So who's there to pick up the pieces? Kerry and Edwards, and Kerry edged out Edwards in Iowa based on experience and familiarity. Really he just stayed in the game long enough to pick up the pieces, plus he had a nice moment with Jim Rassman, very touching and susrprising, too bad the element of innovation and surprise has been missing from his national campaign. Where is his "Tipper/Al kiss" moment, or his winning slogan "It's the economy stupid" Bush has already boxed him in with the whole "flip flopper" thing.

[AmerDem]

1. Not sure.

Kerry wasn't the candidate I was following thru the primaries. I have heard she received alot of the credit for his turn around. Makes you wonder what the hell has happened to them now.

[John_H]

2. Her primary strategy was good, although the media certainly helped.

but she was also wholly unprepared for going up against the BFEE.

[JI7]

3. no, that's too simplistic, and there were many on Kerry's team who helped

and it was a process that went on for months. that's why kerry kept campaigning hard even when everyone else declared his campaign over. his internal numbers were positive and getting better.